Silly season is in full swing across the motorsports world, and, shockingly, the latest victim of a midseason shuffle is Formula One veteran Daniel Ricciardo. Red Bull (RB) announced on September 26th, 2024 that it would part ways with Ricciardo, effective immediately, and that Liam Lawson of New Zealand will be brought in to fulfill the rest of the season.
Ford Red Bull F1 race car in 2002
Ricciardo, who hails from Australia, signed on with AlphaTauri in Hungary in 2023 and stuck with the organization when it switched gears and became RB for the 2024 season. He is credited with five point-paying finishes in his tenure with the team with a best finish of fourth place in the Sprint in Miami. His efforts in 2024 place him 14th in the overall points picture, trailing RB teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, by just 10 points.
Even so, Red Bull is not interested in keeping him on for the remainder of the season. That means that his final showing with the team was the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend, where he brought his race car across the line 18th and posted the fastest lap in the field.
At this time, Ricciardo’s future in F1 is murky. He hasn’t announced any plans to compete in the 2025 campaign as of this writing, potentially signaling an end to his time in the sport. That career produced eight victories, 32 podium finishes, and 1,392 points in 258 Grand Prix races.
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“I’ve loved this sport my whole life,” Ricciardo stated in a post on social media after the news dropped. “It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey. To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you. To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me haha thank you.”
Laurent Mekies, RB team boss, said in a statement, “Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us. He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the Team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit.”
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